Hoisting-fork.



A. L. DE TEMPLE & I. B. LMNG.

HOISTING FORK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 39. |9l4.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

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HOISTING FORK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29. I914.

mm mw Patented Oct. 24,1916.

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HOISTING-FORK.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedflct. ea, rain.

7 Application filed September 29, 1914:- Serial No. 864,136.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALoYsIUs L. DE TEM- PLE and JAMns B. LAING, citizens of the United States, residing at Ewa, in Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hoisting-Forks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hoisting forks for handling material, such as sugar cane and the like, and it has particular reference to that class of devices which comprise two pivotally connected members, each having a row of curved teeth to engage the material which may thus be grasped by said pivoted members for the purpose of hoisting and manipulating the same.

The present invention has for its object to produce a hoisting fork of simple and effective construction wherein the pivotally connected fork members may be effectively guided tograsp and again to release the material that is being handled.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and improve the construction and arrangement of parts composing the improved hoisting fork.

Vith these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved hoisting fork, showing the same in closed or load grasping position. Fig. 2 is an end view showing the fork open in position to engage a load and with dotted lines indicating the closed or load grasping position. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 33 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a sectional detail view taken on the line 44: in Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The fork members AA are each co1nposed of a pair of angle bars 15, 16 on which a plurality of curred teeth it? are by extensions 18 that converge upwardly from the two ends of the member inthe direction of each other, forming arms, the terminals of which are provided with eyes 19 that are pivoted on a shaft 20. The shaft 20 thus constitutes the pivot on which the fork members A are swingingly mounted, and by reason of their being provided with the arms 18, the said fork members are rendered capable of being swung widely apart so as to grasp a large and bulky load without making the said fork members excessively heavy and bulky.

Supported on the shaft 20 midway between the eyes 19 of the arms 18' of the respective fork members is a housing 21 surrounding two pulleys 22 which are supported for rotation on the shaft 20. The housing is provided at the lower part thereof with a counterweight 23, and the upper part of the housing is provided with eyelets 24:. The angle irons 15 at the upper ends of the respective fork members are provided at the ends thereof with pivot members 25 which are connected by obliquely disposed upwardly convergent braces 26 with a hoisting shaft 27, said braces being provided at their lower and upper ends, respectively, with eyes 28, 29 pivotally enaging the pivot members 25 and the shaft 27, respectively.

The shaft 27 is provided midway between its ends with an upwardly extending eye 30 with which a hoisting rope 31 is connected. Said shaft also has a downwardly extending yoke or block 32 carrying a sheave 33 and equipped below said sheave with a hook or attaching member 34:. n An auxiliary flexible hoisting element which, for convenience, may be called the draft rope 35 has one end connected with the attaching member 34, being guided from thence beneath oneofthe pulleys 22, over the sheave 33, beneath the second pulley 22, and thence upwardly in substantially parallel relation Quitting; 31.. The rapes 31 and 35 are to be connected with a suitable crane or derrlck of ordinary construction and are .to be 'manipulated by well known means which, however, constitute no part of the present invention and do not require to be described in detail.

It will be understood that in the construction of this device any desired material may be employed. The teeth of the fork members may be of tubular or any other construction, and other material than angle 1I'OI1 may be used in the construction of the fork members. WVhere ropes have been referred to, it is also evident that wire cables or other flexible elements of well known construction may be employed,

In the operation of this device, when it is suspended by the rope 31, and the rope 35 1s slackened, the shaft 20 and related parts,

aided by the counterweight 23, will gravitate downwardly, thus moving the parts to the open position indicated in Fig. 2 In this position the points of the teeth will rest on the surface of the material that is to be gathered and manipulated. When stress is exerted on the rope 35, the fork sections will close together, and the teeth will gather .a

quantity of the material that is to be lifted. 'lVhen the fork members are closed together pair of fork members, each having arms converging upwardly from the ends thereof, a shaft on which the arms of the two fork members are pivoted to enable said fork members to swing apart about the axis of said shaft, a hoisting shaft, inclined braces connecting said shaft with the fork members, said braces being pivotally connected with the shaft and with the fork members, a flexible hoisting element connected with the hoisting shaft, guide wheels journaled on the first mentioned shaft, a yoke shaft suspended from the hoisting shaft and carrying a guide sheave, and a flexible draft element connected with the yoke, trained over the guide wheels and sheave and carried upward in substantially parallel relation to the hoisting element.

2. In a device of the class described, a fork comprising two members having upwardly convergent arms and a shaft on which said arms are pivoted to enable said fork members to swing apart about the axis of said shaft, a housing on said shaft having a counterweight, guide wheels journaled on the shaft within the housing, a hoisting shaft, braces extending between the hoisting' shaft and the fork members and connectedpivotally with each, a supporting element depending from the hoisting shaft and carrying a guide sheave, a flexible element connected with the supporting element and guided over the guide wheels and sheave in an upi'vard direction, and a hoisting rope connected with the hoisting shaft.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ALOYSIUS L. on TEMPLE. JAMES B. LAING. Vitnesses:

MANUEL THOMAS, PATRICK H. BURNETTE.

Copies of this atent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington. D 0. 

